


Invited

by missingparentheses



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:34:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22314133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missingparentheses/pseuds/missingparentheses
Summary: Link has a point to make and a score to settle.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 20
Kudos: 70





	Invited

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by RandL vlog #1, “Rhett Showers At Link’s House”, because, really, aren’t we all?
> 
> Thanks to fanbabble for talking me into it.

It’s still raining out, the window still open to let in the sound and the breeze. And they’re quiet for once.

Rhett has settled in on the lid of the toilet seat—which stays down only because he unplugged the damn thing—and he’d been aware of the sound of the rain before it had been drowned out by the swish of fabric dragged over hairy limbs and chest, the sound of blood pumping in his ears. He’s not staring. No, he is. But he’s been invited.

Link has a point to make and a score to settle. The point is that undressing in front of each other is no more intimate than showering in front of each other. It’s rote, mechanical unless deliberately orchestrated otherwise. And he’s careful to err on the side of robotic if that’s what it takes to prove the point.

Not that it matters to Rhett. 

Link steps out of his jeans, tosses his socks away, and glances at Rhett for just a moment, a shy grin nudging up the corner of his mouth as he slips his glasses off and lays them gently on the bathroom counter. Rhett grins back, small, ducking his head slightly to hide a blush. Link shakes his head and huffs out a laugh.

“You’re too quiet. You’re makin’ me nervous.”

“Is this your first shower? Oh, don’t be nervous, man. I’ll walk you through it.”

Link rolls his eyes and chuckles again as he reaches through the glass shower door to twist the knob, releasing the spray from above.

“See that, Rhett? Turn the water on before you get in. Get it up to temperature.”

“I know how to take a shower.”

“Clearly you don’t, as demonstrated earlier.”

Rhett ignores the jab and watches, casually observing his friend’s backside, the lines of his shoulder blades, as Link waits for the water to warm. Then he steps through the door and into the spray.

And Rhett watches.

He was invited. The purpose of the experiment had been to test the potential for voyeurism, to see how much Link’s bathroom really did breach his privacy. Rhett can’t decide if it’s ironic or perfectly in line with the experiment that he be watching now, intentionally. Welcomed, even. There had been no caveats on where he was and was not allowed to look. As long as there are no cameras running, there have been no limits placed on him.

So he looks.

The score to be settled is a matter of equality. True equality may be Link showering in Rhett’s shower, but they make due with what they have in the moment: Link’s home, empty but for them and the little dog asleep in the hallway outside the closed bathroom door. The sound of the rain is lost again to the rush of water inside, cascading over Link’s salt-and-pepper hair, over smooth, broad shoulders and the long lines of his body. His eyes are closed against the flow, mouth open to breathe, and Rhett feels his blush rise again at the look on Link’s face. He chuckles, and Link’s eyes pop open.

“What?” he laughs.

Rhett grins. “I just thought of the Herbal Essences commercial again.”

Link laughs. “I’m not gonna start moaning. Sorry to disappoint.”

“That hardly seems fair.”

“I undressed for you. Wasn’t that enough?”

Rhett isn’t sure how to respond, so he holds Link’s gaze. It’s a silent challenge, and Link continues his shower, all the while meeting Rhett’s eyes. He runs his fingers into his hair, massages his scalp, runs his palms down the length of his torso. Then, with the faintest grin, he lets his eyes roll back before letting his eyelids flutter shut as he releases a small, breathy groan.

Rhett crosses his legs and folds his hands in his lap.

Link opens his eyes just in time to catch the motion, and he winks.

“Liked that, huh?”

Rhett laughs under his breath but doesn’t respond. Link closes his eyes again and smoothes his hair back, and he bites his lip as his hands glide slowly down his neck and over his chest, his stomach, toward his groin, before he meets Rhett’s eyes again and lifts an eyebrow in question.

Rhett lifts an eyebrow in response.

Link flips the faucet off and swings the shower door open. He runs his hands down his body to squeegee the water from his skin before stepping out, Rhett’s eyes following his every move. Link grabs a towel, roughly drying his head, and drapes it around his shoulders, his body still exposed as he faces Rhett.

Rhett swallows. “That wasn’t much of a shower. You didn’t even soap up.”

“I took a shower before you came.” He grins. “This one was just for show.”

Rhett huffs out a laugh. “So did I.”

“So how was the show?”

Rhett lets his eyes drop, taking in the full length of his body, dripping and pink with the warmth of the water.

Rhett uncrosses his legs.

Thus invited, Link steps forward.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for kudoing, commenting, and subscribing! You know what time it is...


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